WATR
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WATR (1320 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Waterbury, Connecticut, and the Naugatuck Valley. The station is owned and operated by David Webster and Kurt Jackson through WATR Radio, LLC, and broadcasts the internet radio station, WOW Radio as a full service, and a classic hits format. It was until May 2022 the oldest privately owned station in the state of Connecticut, never having been sold outside the family of its founder, Harold Thomas (1902–1968).
WATR is heard at 5,000 watts full time, but to protect other stations it lowers its power down to 1,000 watts to protect other stations on 1320 AM. The station is also heard on 250-watt FM translator W249DY at 97.7 in Waterbury.
History
The station has been assigned the WATR call letters by the Federal Communications Commission since it was initially licensed in 1934.
WATR once had sister television and FM stations: WATR-TV (now WCCT-TV), established in 1953, and WATR-FM (now WWYZ), established in 1961.
The station was also home to the "Polish Eagle Show", originated in 1934 on WATR by bandleader Victor Zembruski (1912–1976). His widow, Sophie Zembruski (1918–2010), hosted the show from 1976 to 2008, at which time the couple's daughter, Loretta Hoxie, took over hosting duties. "The Zembruski Family Polka Hour", hosted by Nathaniel Zembruski, succeeded Hoxie shortly after she retired in 2013. Zembruski, at age 17, decided to end the show as his junior year of high school concluded. Its finale aired on May 31, 2020.
The station also maintains a decades-long tradition of broadcasting play-by-play of local high school football and basketball. WATR was a member of the University of Connecticut sports radio network from 2018 to 2023.
It was announced on February 24, 2020, that the station was up for sale. A partnership between WWCO owner David Webster and WARE owner Kurt Jackson purchased the station and translator W249DY effective August 24, 2022, for $320,000.
"On June 2, 2025, The station began a new partnership to broadcast programming from WOW Radio, an internet-based station with studios located inside the Toyota of Wallingford car dealership in Wallingford, Connecticut”.
Translator
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W249DY | 97.7 FM | Waterbury, Connecticut | 203226 | 250 | D | 41°33′47.3″N 72°50′40.3″W/41.563139°N 72.844528°W/ 41.563139; -72.844528(W249DY) |
External links
- in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- . Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
FM Translator
- in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- at FCCdata.org